She's My Sleeping Pill

“It’s fine.” Stefan yelled out for everyone to hear. “Calm down. Everything’s fine.” Stefan stated once again when the noise has died down. He opened the overhead compartment and saw the bullet stuck in one of the bags there. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he left the bullet there.

“You are not getting that away from my bag?” an elderly asked when she found him walking away without taking it.

Stefan turned his head to look at the woman with a faint smile. “Ma’am, that’s conclusive evidence and the police will have to take it themselves. Don’t worry, you will be able to get your things and they won’t implicate you.” The woman nodded her head in understanding and went back to her seat.

Seeing that everyone has calmed down, Stefan walked back to his seat and kicked the tied-up criminal as he passed by him. The man groaned in pain but before few seconds later, several other passengers decided to vent up their anger by kicking him and punching him.

Seeing the man beaten black and blue, the woman finally stopped them before they could kill him.

“Wifey.” Stefan whispered as soon as he got back to his seat and Cayenne hugged him without saying a single word. Her silent sob was enough to break his heart into pieces. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for leaving you behind.” He kissed the top of head again and again, reassuring her in soft whispers as he rubbed her back to comfort her.

.....

“I thought something bad will happen to you. I was really scared when you pounced on him. I didn’t want to think about negative things but I was afraid that he’d accidentally shoot you. I didn’t know what to do. I don’t want to lose you.” Cayenne’s words deeply stabbed him on his chest and it was lodged there. It will probably stay there for the rest of their life. Her fears. Her worries. He didn’t want to forget any of them. He wanted to remember them and make sure that he won’t be causing her to feel these emotions again.

They thought everything was fine and that they have successfully pass the storm but the sudden maniacal laughter brought shivers down their spine. The voice came out directly from the speakers which means, the person has access to the cabin crew.

Cayenne stiffened in his arms and Stefan closed his eyes to stop himself from cursing. He just finally calmed down his wife and now, he has to start over again because of the bastards who tried to hold them hostage.

“This is flight PH1017 with more than a hundred passengers. I would love to say that you’ll all get home safely but I don’t want to lie to you guys. Your lives don’t really matter to me and I am not after your money either. Let’s see if the government cares about you, then.” The speaker was turned off and the people looked at each other as if they were just hearing things. Unfortunately, everyone has heard the words loud and clear.

“The crew is being held hostage?” Stefan asked the stewardess near them and the woman nodded slowly. She was pale and there were tears hanging on her lashes. It was obvious that she was holding onto her control to appear calm despite the fear she felt at the moment.

The woman, who fought along with Stefan earlier, walked towards the stewardess and whispered something to her. At first, the stewardess was shaking her head in refusal but later on, she finally agreed and stood up from her seat. Her legs were shaking but there was determination in her eyes.

Now that Cayenne has a good look of the woman who saved them, her eyes went wide. No wonder she found her voice familiar but she didn’t take a good look earlier because she was afraid of moving from her seat. When the woman raised her head, their eyes met and Cayenne gasped in shock.

“Olivia.” she whispered and that’s when Stefan realized where he saw this woman.

“The woman who abducted you months ago?” Stefan asked her to confirm his guess.

“Yes.” Cayenne answered firmly. She could never be mistaken. She spent some time with Olivia when she was abducted and she has noted of her habits and has memorized the sound of her voice. She may have changed her hair and had done some lip and nose job but her eyes – she would forever remember those.

Stefan did not see Olivia in person when he rescued Cayenne and it was confirmed that she fled the scene when they got there. However, she was once part of the organization that Jillyanna leads and she has information of all her women. When she defected from the group and put Cayenne’s life in danger, Jillyanna gave them the go signal to hunt her. That’s why he found her familiar.

As for Olivia, she knew the both of them without a doubt.

She was about to follow the stewardess when Cayenne stopped her. She halted but did not turn around. “Let’s talk after we get out of this situation.” She said and continued walking.

‘The audacity!’ Cayenne exclaimed mentally from Olivia’s response. She can’t believe that the woman who abducted her was acting like nothing has happened between them. ‘Fine! She saved us so I’ll cross what she did to me.’

The next moment, Olivia came back but now, she was wearing the uniform of the stewardess. The staff briefed her about some codes and things that she should not do. She can’t expose herself of being fake.

“HA! HAHAHA!”

The laughter caught everyone’s attention and once again, they felt the chill on their spine. The voice sounded so mean and cold.

“Let’s hear what the government has to say.” The man said and not long after, they could hear the shuffling noise from the background. “So, have you called the mayor? He has half an hour to settle this matter before I blow up this plane with everyone inside it.”

“We’ve got him on the line. He’s on the way. Please don’t hurt the passengers.”

“Alright! Now that he’s on the line, tell him to do a live broadcast and make him sign the form that will officially allow the dwellers of St. Martin to stay in their homes. If he won’t, I will make him shoulder the lives of these passengers and the crew.”

“Sir, what you are asking is impossible. It’s holiday and no one’s in their offices now.”

“Then, make them. Ask them. Do anything you can. You have 28 minutes left.”

The passengers heard everything and they all paled in fear. Rich or not, everyone will die in the hands of this criminal who’s fighting for the sake of thousands of dwellers.

Hearing these words, Stefan perked up his ears and tried to remember something. There’s this project in St. Martin which will start next spring because of the land settlement that needed to be finalized. If he guessed it right, the place that the hijacker talked about is the same place that he was trying to buy.

‘I thought there’s a proper evacuation for them?’ Stefan questioned himself. ‘Didn’t the mayor present the solution during the last meeting? I thought his team has started the settlement project for the dwellers?’ Stefan wasn’t sure if he was in the same page as the criminal but he felt a bad premonition of this situation. If what he guessed was true then, the lives of the passengers are also in his palm.

“Give me a sec.” Stefan kissed Cayenne one last time and stood from his seat.

“Where are you going?” Cayenne asked in alarm.

“I have to discuss something. I think I can help.”

“What if he’ll do something to you?”

“No, he won’t. I can assure you that.”

“Stefan.” Cayenne wanted to beg him to stay, to forget about everything and just stay with her. She needed him at this moment. She couldn’t calm her heart at all. “Please...I...”

“I promise I will come back safe and sound. Don’t worry. I have a way.”